Creator Currently Working on a New Game, Haunted Chocolatier
Stardew Valley is one of the first games that come to mind when someone brings up the phrase “Indie game”. There have been over 15 million copies bought, and can be played on a surprising number of devices- on mobile, PC, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, and Xbox Series X. It’s a massive success for the Stardew creator, Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone.
And we know too that Barone has been working currently on a different game, called Haunted Chocolatier. From what details have been revealed, it is similar to Stardew Valley in that there’s a focus on creating relationships and establishing the main character in a new location. This was revealed in October 2021, with a sneak peek of what may come already on Youtube- though admittedly, it is for only two minutes.
It’s great that Barone is making a new game, and is taking what he learned from the previous project, and bringing it to a new one. There is no fault in that whatsoever. The problem lies in what may be happening in Stardew Valley’s future, or what may not be happening.
When asked about the future of Stardew Valley, Barone said this during an interview: “I have no plans either way. I don’t want to make any promises for more updates, and I also don’t want to say definitively that it’s finished. I think the game is in a very good place as it is, so I don’t think it’s necessary to add more to it. But at the same time, there’s always room for improvement.”
This does not bode well for the possible updates for Stardew Valley, but this is not the end either. Updates may or may not come for Stardew Valley. But there are always options for the game and it is understandable that Barone may want to work on something else for a while.
After all, Stardew Valley debuted on Steam in 2012, and it’s now 2022. This may mean that Haunted Chocolatier may be the game to look out for in the years to come.